Coin dispensing mechanism



May I, 1951 O B N s 2,551,493

COIN DISPENSING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 2, 1947 [IIIHHIHHIIIIIIIIIIIlllllllllllllllll lNVENTOR Urr/e ,5. Jen/f5 QM, M MVQMM.

ATTORNEYS Patented May 1, 1951 COIN DISPENSING MECHANISM Orrie B. Jenks, Burlington, Vt., assignor to Bell Aircraft Corporation, Wheatfield, N. Y.

Application December 2, 1947, Serial No. 789,252

(cl. 1ss 5) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to coin dispensing mechanisms such as are useful, for example, in connection with coin changer machines or coin controlled automatic vending machines wherein arrangements are provided for returning small change to the depositor of a coin of larger denomination than the valve of the commodity dispensed. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improved coin dispensing mechanism which is generally of the type disclosed in co-pending patent application Serial No. 708,520 filed November 8, 1946 by Frank D. Meredith and Jonathan W. Hunsinger.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved coin ejection mechanism for use in combination with a coin reservoir carrying a vertical stack of coins. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved coin ejection mechanism of the character described, whereby the dispensed coins are freed from the ejection mechanism in improved manner. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved coin ejection mechanism of the character referred to which is adapted to operate with improved smoothness and sureness, and to avoid undesirable interferences with the coins in the reservoir. Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the specification hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation, partly in section, of a coin reservoir and coin dispensing mechanism of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section taken along line II-II of Fig. 1, showing the dispensing mechanism in inactive condition;

Figs. 3 and 4 are views similar to Fig. 2, showing the dispensing mechanism in various conditions of operation; and

Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 4 but with portions of the mechanism removed to show more clearly the other portions thereof.

As in the case of the previously filed patent application referred to hereinabove, the present invention is illustrated herein in connection with a coin reservoir which is in the form of a vertically disposed tube bored to receive in slidefitting relation successively stacked coins [2, as from a coin chute [4 extending from a coin receiving and/or commodity dispensing mechanism forming no part of the present invention. The lower end of the tube In is flanged as indicated at I6 and carries therebelow a wall plate ll and a bottom plate l8 which is thereby mounted to extend horizontally below the flange l6 and in vertically spaced relation therewith. The base plate I8 is cut away as indicated at is to permit coins to fall therethrough whenever such coins are displaced horizontally out from under the stack of coins in the reservoir [9, being thereby dispensed as for change making purposes.

To procure lateral displacements of selected numbers of coins from the reservoir stack so that they may fall through the bottom plate opening 59, I provide a novel combination of dispensing arms and control devices as are illustrated in the drawing. The dispensing arms are designated 2EI-22 respectively, and the control or escapement arms are designated 24-46 respectively. The escapement arms 2426 are designed to hold the lowermost coins of the reservoir stack in non-dispensing position Fig. 2, directly under the column H] until such time as the dispensing arms 20-22 are actuated. These arms are so designed as to simultaneously cam the escapement arms out of coin holding positions while forcing the lowermost coins of the reservoir stack to be sidewise displaced into registry with the opening 59 through the bottom plate It (Fig. 3), so that the displaced coins fall through the opening 19 to be delivered to the operator of the machine.

The dispensing arms 2B--22 are jaw shaped at their front edges and are mounted upon a common pivot pin 28; and the escapement arms 24-26 are mounted upon a common pivot pin 31!. Tension springs 3435 connect with the upper ends of the dispensing arms '20-Z2, respectively, for separately biasing the dispensing arms to pivot in counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 25 toward their non-dispensing positions as shown in Fig. 2. To actuate the dispensing arms so as to displace coins from the reservoir stack into such position as to be free to fall through the opening I9, actuating arms 3638 are pivotally connected, respectively, to the upper ends of the dispensing arms 2022 by means of pins ail-42, respectively. The arms 36-33 may of course be actuated by any suitable means, such as for example by solenoids as disclosed in the prior patent application referred to hereinabove. Also, as explained therein, the dispensing arms fill-22 may be constructed of such thickness as to effect displacement of any desired number of coins from the reservoir stack. For example, as illustrated herein the dispensing arm 20 is illustrated to be of such thickness as to equal the thickness of three of the coins of the reservoir stack, while the arm 22 is of the same thickness as a single coin of the stack. Thus,

assuming the reservoir 10 to be filled with five cent coins, each dispensing operation of the arm 20 will cause three nickels to fall free, while each such movement of the arm 22 will cause one nickel to fall. In such case the actuating arms 36-38 may be controlled to operate simultaneously whenever a twenty-five cent coin has been deposited to effect dispensing of a five cent article from the machine, whereby coincident with delivery of the merchandise article the machine operator will receive four nickels in change. The actuating arm 38 will in the same case be arranged to operate whenever a ten cent coin has been deposited in the machine to effect dispensing of a five cent article, whereupon coincident with delivery of the merchandise article only one five cent coin will fall through the change dispensing opening (Fig.

The arms 20-22 are provided of such plan view shapes and dimensions as to constitute shelves upon which the reservoir stack of coins rest whenever the arms are being actuated for dispensing purposes; whereby the coin stack is vertically supported by the dispensing arms during each change dispensing operation, and whereby the coins of the reservoir stack are prevented from interferring with free operation of the dispensing arms.

The escapement arms 24-25 are of thickness dimensions equal to those of the corresponding dispensing arms 22-26, and are inwardly curved at their front ends so as to project into partially encircling relation with the coins at the bottom of the reservoir stack as indicated at 44 in Fig. 2. Hence the arm portions 44 cooperate with the heel portions 46 (Fig. 2) of the corresponding dispensing arms whenever the latter are in their retracted or non-dispensing positions; whereby the coins disposed within the jaws of the displacement arms are maintained against accidental dislodgement into the discharge aperture l9. However, upon pivoting of the displacement arms as explained hereinabove the lower jaw portions of the arms cam against the front ends of the escapement arms, and cause them to rock upon the pivot 30, thereby removing the barriers to sliding of coins toward the opening l9. Reversely, coincident with retraction of the dispensing arms in response to the forces of the springs 34-46, the rear edges of the displacement arms press upon the heel portions of the escapement arms, and force the latter to to rock back into coin locking positions.

It has been determined that the open jaw type dispensing arm construction of the present invention, in combination with the escapement arm arrangement thereof, provides a dispensing operation which is free from interference from the stack of reservoired coins and which obtains at the same time free falling action of the dispensed coins with no chance of blocking thereof. Thus. the invention avoids the disadvantages and short-comings of the full-circle type dispensing arm arrangements of the prior art.

I claim:

1. In a coin change dispensing machine, a coin change reservoir carrying a stack of coins to be freed flatwise successively from an end opening of said reservoir, a bottom plate mounted beneath and in spaced relation to said open.- ing for blocking flatwise movement of coins therefrom, a coin dispensing control device comprising a dispensing arm pivotally mounted upon said plate and movable within the space between said plate and said reservoir opening and transverse to the direction of movement of said coins within said reservoir, said arm having an open jaw-like front side formation adapted to contact and bear edgewise against the coins as they become disposed within said space, means for moving said arm to displace said contacted coins until they fall free from an edge portion of said bottom plate, and an escapement bar pivotally mounted upon said plate to rock relative to said plate and having a heel end portion curved to project into cammed interference with the rear edge of said arm when said arm is retracting into non-dispensing position and a curved front end portion which is thereupon projected into cooperation with the jaw portion of said arm to substantially encircle said contacted coins to hold the latter against accidental displacement, said arm camming against said curved front end portion of said escapement bar to rock the latter out of blocking engagement with said coins when said arm is moving into dispensing position.

2.111 a coin change dispensing machine, a base, a coin change reservoir carried by said base and having a coin discharge opening, a coin dispensing control device comprising a dispensing arm pivotal upon said base and movable relative to said coin discharge opening and transverse to the direction of movement of coins within said reservoir, said arm having an open jawlike front side formation adapted to partially encircle coins as they come from said reservoir, means for moving said arm to displace said partially encircled coins laterally for dispensing purposes, and an escapement bar pivotally mounted upon said base to rock relative to said arm and having a heel end portion curved to project into camming interference with the rear edge of said arm when said arm is retracting into non-dispensing position and a curved front end portion which is thereupon projected into cooperation with the jaw portion of said arm to sub,- stantially encircle said coins to hold the latter against accidental dispensing displacement, the curved front end portion of said bar bearing against the jaw portion of said arm when said arm is in non-dispensing position, whereby said bar is rockable out of coin holding position in response to pressure from said arm against said curved front end portion when said arm moves toward dispensing position.

3. In a coin change dispensing machine, a base, a coin change reservoir carried by said base and having a coin discharge opening, a coin dispensing control device comprising a plurality of dispensing arms of different thicknesses pivotally mounted upon said base and adjacent said coin discharge opening by means of a common pivot connection device, said dispensing arms being movable relative to said coin discharge opening in directions transverse to the direction of dispensing movement of coins within said reservoir, said arms having open ja; like front side formations adapted to partially encircle coins as they come from said reservoir, means for separately moving said arms to dis place said partially encircled coins laterally for dispensing purposes, and a plurality of escapement bars freely and pivotally mounted upon said base on a common pivot connection device to rock relative to each of said arms, each of said escapement bars having a heel end portion curved to project into camming interference with the rear edge of one of said arms when said arm is retracting into non-dispensing position and a curved front end portion which is thereupon REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

6 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 18,981 Great Britain Oct. 22, 1892 111,940 Austria Jan. 10, 1929 

